A great start to the year - 1

The speed of the current Vendée Globe fleet is a revelation. It was over four years ago that router, Jean-Yves Bernot, now sailing in The Race with Cam Lewis, first conjured up 'monomaran', to describe the performance of the Open class monohulls.

And the current fleet seems to have made yet another quantum leap, by refining the innovative, but often relatively crude technology of the mid 1990s. Ironically, Yves Parlier, often so critical of the demands for improved self-righting and stability made of the older boats, seems to have found a new level of performance with his 'ageing' Aquitaine Innovations. And this improvement has come after incorporating many of the weight increasing measures necessary to take part this time around. Maybe a heavier bulb is not so slow after all.

The favourable weather has led to much faster times in this, the fourth Vendée. But there have been some spectacular performances none the less. And with a little 'nepotism', it is notable that our own Patrice Carpentier crossed the Equator on his Open 50 with the same elapsed time as did Parlier last time on his 60 footer. And, as this is written, Patrice's VM Materiaux is within eight miles of Bernard Gallay, aboard Christophe Auguin's winning Open 60 from the last race